House Painting Fremont: Exterior Painting Preparation

The best home painting in Fremont for your exterior can be the most difficult and demanding job to do if you’re not comfortable painting. You probably need to cover the whole house, not only in paint (which is difficult already) but also in preparing the surface. You may even encounter unexpected weather changes and spend much of your time inside your house.

Like in all painting projects, good preparation is a key to a successful finish, and this is especially true for exterior house painting Fremont. Since the exterior surface basically protects your home, taking these painting preparation tips will help make the surfaces look as good as new, as well as strong and long-lasting.

  • Does the entire home need to be painted? It is helpful to determine if you need to paint the whole exterior or parts such as the trim, shutters, and gables. This may depend upon your preferences, but if there is damage to the paint, it will determine the extent of painting that is needed.
  • Decide which color to use. If you are uncertain the color you’d like to repaint the home with, get some paint samples or purchase small amounts of your preferred colors. Create bigger samples of the paint color by painting a poster board. Use that to help you see how the paint will look at the different locations around your home.
  • Look in sample books or home magazines to help you with in choosing the paint color for the home’s exterior. The Internet may also be helpful to browse house and paint options. There are even some visualizing tools to help you preview your home with the paint color you’ve picked as if it were actually painted. Before finally deciding to buy paint, pay attention to the other homes in your area. You would like your home to harmonize with your neighbors’ houses.
  • It’s necessary to clean and prepare the surface for better paint adhesion. If your home is easy to clean, you may only need a water hose, brush, and cleaning solvent. It’s recommended to buy only detergents that are specially formulated for cleaning exterior surfaces.

    On the other hand, if your house shows extensive peeling or paint damage, you may need to use a pressure washer. But be careful when using the nozzle, because the stream of water coming out could damage the wood, and even the windows. There’s also a chance water could seep under the siding of the house, so a little caution is necessary when using this tool.

  • Make sure downspouts, gutters, and eaves are not problem areas for the surface by dripping on the exterior. After cleaning and washing, thoroughly rinse the surface of the house.
  • Scrape away remaining loose paint in areas where the power washing didn’t remove the paint entirely.
  • If you find any surface problems such as nail grooves, cracks, or holes, use putty and caulk to cover them. If the windows are badly damaged, repair and re-apply the epoxy putty before painting. If you see areas that need to have old caulk removed, do that as soon as you can. Then apply new caulk over the specific area.

    Also, primer may be needed where the paint has peeled off, become thin, or has blistered. Apply primer to any bare wood that you come across before administering the caulk.

  • Cover flower beds or bushes with drop cloths to protect them when you begin painting. It’s recommended to use canvas drop cloths over plastic ones for safety reasons.

Once these tasks are complete, you can begin painting!

Following these steps while doing exterior house painting in Fremont will ensure you of a home that will look as good as new!